ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — A national article written and published by Fox News on April 25 describes Asheville as a quaint mountain town battling homelessness and an “unsafe downtown.” The New York Post later shared the piece.
It has sparked a strong reaction from locals, with people expressing both support and opposition to the article’s claims.
“It kind of misrepresents downtown,” said Clark Hollins, longtime owner of Hearn’s Cycling & Fitness. “I think downtown has gotten a lot better. Pritchard Park is a lot better. We don’t have people sleeping on the sidewalks.”
Asheville Coalition for Public Safety chairperson Honor Moor said safety concerns remain.
“The Asheville Coalition for Public Safety hears about these complaints on a regular basis,” Moor said. “Many of our members live downtown and shared this article. They feel we have a lot of challenges still downtown.”
The Fox News article, written by an online reporter based in Florida, reported that the homeless population has grown to more than 800, a 9.1% increase from last year. It also included comments from former Asheville City Council Member Carl Mumpower, a Republican, who said the city’s council previously dismantled the police department.
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Current city officials dispute that claim.
“Council did not defund or dismantle the police department,” said Asheville City Council Member Bo Hess, who chairs the city’s public safety committee.
Hess said leaders are focused on addressing vagrancy downtown and noted a gradual return of tourism following Hurricane Helene.
“Just this past weekend, we had tens of thousands of people out on our streets,” Hess said.
Mumpower said he has received significant feedback since the article was published.
“I’ve gotten lots of feedback,” he said. “Most of it good.”
He added that while Asheville leaders are aware of concerns, other cities have taken stronger steps to maintain business-friendly downtown environments.
“You find little or none of it in Charleston, little or none of it comparatively in Greenville,” Mumpower said. “And take a little journey to Biltmore Forest, on your way out of here, and go find a homeless person over there. There aren’t any.”
Mark Rosenstein, a longtime Asheville resident and former restaurant owner who helped establish the city as a destination in the 1980s, said the article presents an incomplete picture.
“It’s one-sided,” Rosenstein said.
Rosenstein said homelessness and affordability challenges in Asheville are longstanding issues that have become more visible in recent years.
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“Lots of what’s happening to Asheville is very true and very sad,” he said. “The beginning of a lasting solution, in my opinion, is that each of the parties, instead of playing the blame game, should ask themselves the question of how they’re contributing to the problem.”
He added that affordability remains a central issue that city leaders continue to address.
City of Asheville spokesperson Kim Miller provided News 13 with the statement sent to Fox News for the article responding to questions about how the city is dealing with the unhoused:
The Continuum of Care (COC), a community-led, local collaborative planning body, is responsible for homelessness response. The City continues to focus on public safety.This month we launched the Asheville Police Department’s Downtown Plan, which will essentially double police patrols downtown – increasing day and overnight patrols and, in some cases, responding along with trained mental health counselors. Our REST Team program is an operational response to mitigate the effects of homelessness. It uses specially trained Asheville Fire Department staff to engage with concerned residents and people experiencing homelessness to problem-solve and connect them to resources.We have expanded our Panhandling ordinance and continue working with community partners like the Asheville Downtown Association and its ADID program.